Pirates of the Ice Age: Dead Man's Meltdown
by Diegorules483
Summary: The ice is melting. Davy Jones, the Kraken, Cretaceous and Maelstrom are about to be unleashed in a massive flood of destruction. And both Jack Sparrow and Lord Cutler Beckett are searching for the heart of Davy Jones, as they and the Sub-Zero Heroes journey to the Boat at the end of the Valley. Rated K plus for mild language and a bit of gore. Sequel to Curse of the Sabre Tooth!
1. Prologue

Pirates Of The Ice Age 2 Dead Man's Meltdown

Prelude

_It was a beautiful day in the Ice Valley. The summers sun blazed down from a cloudless blue sky, shining on the lush green forests, the grassy meadows, the network of rivers and streams, and the huge sparkling glaciers that surrounded the area. Animals and humans alike revelled in the fine weather, thankful for the warmth after the seemingly endless Ice Age. All seemed to be well. _

_However, high up on the tallest glacier in the Valley, all was not well. Ominous creaks and gurgles mingled with the whistling of the wind, and cracks zigzagged across the once-smooth ice faces. _

_These threatening signs were almost impossible to ignore._

_But, strangely enough, one tiny squirrel-like creature was completely oblivious to the noises as it ascended the glacier. Concentrating deeply on its climb, it did not seem to even care that it was hundreds of metres above the ground. The creature had something else on its mind. _

_Scrat was searching for his acorn._

_He inched his way up the vertical ice slope, using his long claws as crampons. Even when he came to an overhang, he would crawl, upside-down, along the bottom until he could climb vertically once more. Sometimes he slipped or lost his grip, and only caught himself just in time. Once or twice his tongue stuck to the ice, and he had to tug it off. But Scrat just kept on going, no matter what._

_Finally, Scrat spotted something imbedded in the ice above him. Letting out a cry of delight, he scampered up the glacier towards the object._

_Sure enough, it was his acorn. Scrat grabbed it and attempted to pull it out of the ice._

_It didn't budge._

_Scrat tugged harder, but to no avail. Grunting with effort, the sabre-tooth squirrel pulled at the acorn with all his strength…_

POP!

_The acorn finally popped out of its icy prison. Grabbing it before it could fall, Scrat hugged his prize with a sigh of relief._

_Suddenly, an ominous gurgle broke through the silence, and a jet of water burst out of a crack in the ice. _

_Scrat squeaked in fright. Swapping his acorn to his other paw, he stuffed a claw into the hole. The water jet instantly stopped._

_Then there was another gurgle, and _more _water shot out of another crack, right next to Scrat's other paw. Groaning, he dropped his acorn to his left foot and used his paw to block that crack._

_Before he could even begin to relax, however, two more jets of water shot out of cracks next to _both _of Scrat's feet. The quick-thinking squirrel tossed his acorn up onto his head, and used his feet to plug the holes. _

_Scrat let out a sigh of relief. _

_Then there was another gurgle._

_And a second later, another jet of water shot out of the glacier right into Scrat's face._

_The squirrel did the only thing he could. He stuffed his snout into the hole to stop the jet of water._

_Straightaway, water gushed into Scrat's mouth, filling up his stomach. He quickly started to swell up like a balloon. His arms and legs flailed helplessly as they were pulled out of the holes by his expanding body…_

WHOOSH!

_Suddenly, Scrat launched into the air like a rocket. A jet of water gushed out of his mouth, propelling him in wild zig-zags and loops through the sky. Back and forth he flew, the stream of water sending him spiralling around in the air…until there was no more water._

_Scrat, now back to his normal size, let out a miserable whimper._

_Then he fell._

_Down, down, down towards the land below, screaming and thrashing all the way…_

CRASH!  
_Scrat smashed through an ice arch. Then he bounced off a rocky outcrop. And finally, the squirrel landed hard…right in the middle of a prickly gorse bush._

_Sometimes he wondered if this all came from liking acorns so much._


	2. Chapter 1: The Musings of Lord Beckett

**So here's Chapter 1! Enjoy!**

* * *

A small, sleek brigantine sat at anchor in the middle of a wide, winding river. Normally, the water would only trickle across the very bottom of the floodplain. But this year's summer was an especially hot one. The river was swollen with melt-water from the many melting glaciers that surrounded the Valley, and, as more and more ice melted, the river grew higher and higher, threatening to burst its banks with every passing day.

A longboat slowly approached the river bank, manned by blue-coated sailors and packed with a contingent of marines. It seemed much like a normal patrol conducted everyday by the British.

But these soldiers were not the usual red-coated variety that patrolled and protected the land. They were a special squadron wearing navy-blue uniforms and wielding longer, more ornate muskets decorated with silver and gold.

Even more unusually, the flag that fluttered at the stern of the longboat was not the Union Jack.

It was the insigna of the East India Trading Company. (Which was quite an outdated name by now, since the company didn't only trade with the tiny Indian peninsula. It had bases in every port of every single country in the continent. It even had its own navy, large enough to rival the British Royal Navy.)

The longboat finally reached the edge of the river, beaching itself on the muddy bank. One by one, the marines hopped out in perfect timing, setting up a perimeter around the boat. Next, a pair of blue-coated lieutenants, one carrying a large tripod and the other a large box, disembarked and set their equipment up on the river bank.

And then another figure stepped out of the longboat.

He was shorter than many of the humans accompanying him, but he wore a much finer, more elegant coat, and a much larger hat. A fancy wig sitting upon his head indicated his extremely high status.

He was Lord Cutler Beckett, Chairman of the East India Trading Company.

* * *

Beckett strode away from the longboat and its shield of marines, away from the lieutenants surveying the landscape and checking the river gauges, and stopped at the edge of a lush meadow. He stared out across the wide green field, all the way out to the glacier dams and ice formations that stretched out towards the sky. The craggy ice towers, arches, and walls sparkled in the sunlight, adding a beautiful background to an already stunning scene.

But it wasn't the glaciers that Lord Beckett was interested in. It was what lay _behind _them that fascinated him much more.

"Sir!" called one of the lieutenants beside the river gauge. "There's been another 5 inch rise in water levels since yesterday! That's a 10 foot 9 inch increase over normal levels!"

"Very well, Lieutenant," Beckett replied without even a glance at the officer. "Carry on."

He, along with a few privileged scientists and bigwigs of the East India Trading Company, knew exactly what was causing this dramatic rise in water levels. A huge lake, over a mile deep and almost twice as big as the Valley it overlooked, resided behind these icy walls. Normally, the glaciers held strong against the pressure of the water behind it, but the long hot summer days and burning sun had taken their toll. The glaciers were becoming thinner and weaker every day.

Scientists estimated that there were only three days at most before the dam broke, and the entire Valley was flooded.

But it wouldn't be just water that would escape from the massive lake. When the dams broke, a _legend_ would be unleashed.

'_Everybody knows the tale of Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman, and the fearsome beasts under his command,'_ Beckett thought. _'But very few know that this legend is true. _

_Ships and their crews disappear almost daily on every shipping route. Those who survive tell of something huge pulling their vessel under the water, while two beasts twice as large as a sabre-tooth tiger snap up those flailing in the water. Then there have been reports of a strange ship, faster than any other vessel, able to disappear under the waves in an instant._

_It completely matches the legend._

_But there is more to the tale of Davy Jones. His heart has been carved out of his chest and locked in a box. The one who obtains his heart could control Davy Jones...and thus control the seas._

_If the rest of the story is reality, then why shouldn't this be true too?_

_The only problem is: how would I find it? The box is supposedly buried where nobody but Davy Jones himself can find it. It would be impossible for even me to locate it._

_Except…if I had a certain magical compass. A compass that doesn't point north, but to whatever its holder wants the most. _

_And what I want most is the heart of Davy Jones.'_

With it, he could rid the oceans of piracy, make them safe for trading, and ensure the supremacy of the East India Trading Company.

Before he could find the heart, however, he would have to obtain the compass first. And that happened to be quite difficult. The compass was in the hands of the most crafty pirate captain in the world. He had escaped the King's best agents seven times, and sacked an entire town without even firing a shot.

Fortunately for Beckett, that pirate had friends.

'_Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and a rag-tag group of animals have associated with this pirate more than once. If I were to manipulate them to steal the compass off him, then it could come into my hands_.

_Then my visions could finally be achieved.'_

"My Lord!" called the lieutenant, rousing Beckett from his thoughts.

He turned to look at the junior officer. "What is it?"

"Our measurements and observations have been completed, my lord. We can return to Riverdale at your convenience."

"Very well," Beckett sighed, turning to follow the lieutenant back to the longboat. But he paused to take one last look back at the fragile glacier dam.

'_It won't be long now before it breaks. And I must find the heart before Davy Jones and his terrible beasts are unleashed. _

_It is time._

_Time for my plans to be put into action.'_

* * *

**Beckett's about to go after Elizabeth, Will, and the herd! I thought I'd put this chapter in to show what Beckett was thinking before he decided to arrest Will and Elizabeth!**

**Please review if you like it!**


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